How good are agency websites?
September 4th, 2007There are two types of businesses that almost exclusively use “Flash” websites: advertising agencies and architects.
Why? Does it work? I.e. do their audience want this? Are these the most effective websites for agencies and architects?
I asked a mate in a digital agency about advertising agency websites and he came back with this:
“Normally it’s to show off the ‘creative’ nature of the business. Also, a lot of the agencies around are still tv centric so the moving image is a big part of what they know and understand. I think agencies just want to appear “cutting edge” in the internet world and they think that Flash says that about them…”
When I asked him why they create Flash sites for themselves and non-flash sites for their clients his answer was:
“For the client sites, it all comes down to demographic of their audience (for example, some brands are purely 12-20 year olds who want the flashy - everything moving - type sites. Where as (other brands) are mainly 25+ women so they don’t care too much about flash.”
Back to my point; is this what works for agency clients? I don’t have the answer, but I’d love to hear your views.
UPDATE: David Meerman Scott posts this answer to the question. You won’t be left wondering what he thinks:)
September 22nd, 2007 at 3:21 am
Advertising agency websites: Digital masturbation…
One of the fundamental aspects of web marketing is that you need to understand your buyers before you create any content. Who are you trying to reach? What are the market problems of the buyer persona that you are targeting?…
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:31 am
Hey David,
Some good discussions around this topic. Thanks for getting it started.
David
January 1st, 2008 at 1:46 am
Great topic,
Having spent most of my 25+ years on the client side, I joined an agency in 2001 for a year while in transition.
What made this firm stand out is they focused on ROI of the work verse winning awards. They embraced practicing what they preached with their own web site. http://www.innismaggiore.com/
By focusing on walking the talk it made my role in new business development easy in a sea of other agencies that that were all flash when they designed “sites that promote the maximum return on your web investment” yet did not embrace what they were selling themselves.
Great topic, I hope the agencies out there tune in to the growing trend of getting real in all you do. The consumer, in this case potential new client, is becoming much more knowledgeable. Agencies that do not practice what they preach may win a number of awards for creative artistic expression, but not win desired new clients.
Back on the client side for the past six years I continually recommend the firm that embraced walking the talk. It required courage, it required stepping out of the box, shaking the creative paradigm, and focusing on measurable objectives.
Mark
January 1st, 2008 at 6:33 am
Hi Mark, thanks for the contribution. It sounds like you’ve had an interesting experience going to and fro from agency to clients. One of the things leadership in agencies could do would be to get online themselves and have a look at what is happening. Right now, it is only the specialist digital agencies that participate in the disccussion. Where agencies should be leading, they are following.
Maybe one of the reasons is that larger agencies are still dominated by the “above the line” people. Then again, where are the direct agencies with great online strategies?
We should start a “best” and “worst” agency website list:)
Cheers and a happy new year.